WB + UPN = CW
HUGE news from the television world today. 
UPN and The WB announced this morning that they will merge their two broadcast networks into one new network, to be called The CW. Although such a merger was long-speculated in the mid-90s, when both of these nets were launched, such talk had long since vanished from the broadcast landscape. Therefore, today’s merger announcement ending the decade-long rivalry to be America’s fifth network was a surprise, to say the least.
UPN (owned by CBS) and Time Warner's The WB will cease to exist by late Summer or early Fall, and The CW (the “C” for CBS and the “W” Warner Brothers) will launch in their place, made up of the strongest product from each of the two networks. CBS and Time Warner/Warner Bros. will each own a 50% stake in the new network. Dawn Ostroff, the current president of UPN, will become The CW’s president of entertainment, and John Maatta, currently the CEO of the WB, will become COO of The CW.
So… what’s likely to survive, and what’s likely not to make the cut? On The WB side, shows such as Gilmore Girls, Supernatural, Smallville, Everwood, and Reba are shoo-ins to move to the new network. WB goners most-certainly will include Related, What I Like About You, and Twins. Beauty and the Geek, a minor hit, may or may not make the cut.
From the UPN side of the aisle, a few of the shows from UPN's Monday-night urban comedy block are likely to return, along with America’s Next Top Model, Everybody Hates Chris, and WWE Smackdown. Likely to depart would be South Beach, Love Inc., and Cuts. As for Veronica Mars… consider it "fate uncertain." It’s a critical favorite, but it’s been losing too much of its Top Model lead-in. If I had to guess, I'd say that Veronica makes the cut, but just barely. Personally, if I were programming The CW, I'd give serious consideration to pairing Veronica with Gilmore Girls.
The CW will maintain The WB’s scheduling format: primetime programming Mondays through Fridays, 8:00pm – 10:00pm and Sundays 7:00pm -10:00pm. They’ll also hold onto the weekday afternoon block (3:00pm – 5:00pm) and the Sunday 5:00pm – 7:00pm block, along with the Saturday morning children’s block (7:00am – 12:00pm).
With two nets combining into one, of course many markets are now about to lose one network affiliate and gain one independent station. Independent stations have been few-and-far between since the inception of UPN and The WB, so it will be interesting to watch the resurgence of the good old-fashioned broadcast independent. Providence is an exception to the “new independent station” outlook, though, as this market has always lacked a primary WB affiliate (WLWC, the UPN O&O, has always telecast WB programming out of pattern). In Boston, watch for Tribune’s WLVI / WB56 to become the affiliate of the new CW Television Network, while WBSK / UPN38 returns to independent status.
So... does this announcement mean that we’ve seen the last of Blue Collar TV's Larry, The Cable Guy? We can only hope.
Stay tuned…
UPN and The WB announced this morning that they will merge their two broadcast networks into one new network, to be called The CW. Although such a merger was long-speculated in the mid-90s, when both of these nets were launched, such talk had long since vanished from the broadcast landscape. Therefore, today’s merger announcement ending the decade-long rivalry to be America’s fifth network was a surprise, to say the least.
UPN (owned by CBS) and Time Warner's The WB will cease to exist by late Summer or early Fall, and The CW (the “C” for CBS and the “W” Warner Brothers) will launch in their place, made up of the strongest product from each of the two networks. CBS and Time Warner/Warner Bros. will each own a 50% stake in the new network. Dawn Ostroff, the current president of UPN, will become The CW’s president of entertainment, and John Maatta, currently the CEO of the WB, will become COO of The CW.
So… what’s likely to survive, and what’s likely not to make the cut? On The WB side, shows such as Gilmore Girls, Supernatural, Smallville, Everwood, and Reba are shoo-ins to move to the new network. WB goners most-certainly will include Related, What I Like About You, and Twins. Beauty and the Geek, a minor hit, may or may not make the cut.
From the UPN side of the aisle, a few of the shows from UPN's Monday-night urban comedy block are likely to return, along with America’s Next Top Model, Everybody Hates Chris, and WWE Smackdown. Likely to depart would be South Beach, Love Inc., and Cuts. As for Veronica Mars… consider it "fate uncertain." It’s a critical favorite, but it’s been losing too much of its Top Model lead-in. If I had to guess, I'd say that Veronica makes the cut, but just barely. Personally, if I were programming The CW, I'd give serious consideration to pairing Veronica with Gilmore Girls.
The CW will maintain The WB’s scheduling format: primetime programming Mondays through Fridays, 8:00pm – 10:00pm and Sundays 7:00pm -10:00pm. They’ll also hold onto the weekday afternoon block (3:00pm – 5:00pm) and the Sunday 5:00pm – 7:00pm block, along with the Saturday morning children’s block (7:00am – 12:00pm).
With two nets combining into one, of course many markets are now about to lose one network affiliate and gain one independent station. Independent stations have been few-and-far between since the inception of UPN and The WB, so it will be interesting to watch the resurgence of the good old-fashioned broadcast independent. Providence is an exception to the “new independent station” outlook, though, as this market has always lacked a primary WB affiliate (WLWC, the UPN O&O, has always telecast WB programming out of pattern). In Boston, watch for Tribune’s WLVI / WB56 to become the affiliate of the new CW Television Network, while WBSK / UPN38 returns to independent status.So... does this announcement mean that we’ve seen the last of Blue Collar TV's Larry, The Cable Guy? We can only hope.
Stay tuned…
posted by TV Boy at 6:45 PM
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